


until the sun comes up (will you stay with me?)

by peachjuho



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Insomnia, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27562951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachjuho/pseuds/peachjuho
Summary: hwiyoung is an insomniac. taeyang is just another one of his brother's pretty friends.
Relationships: Kim Youngkyun | Hwiyoung/Yoo Taeyang
Comments: 9
Kudos: 28





	until the sun comes up (will you stay with me?)

**Author's Note:**

> hi this not my first attempt at chaptered fic but i determined to make this my first completed longfic
> 
> update will probably definitely be slow but they will happen!! (mainly because fic fest things will be occurring)

Hwiyoung stares up to the ceiling, laying on his back on his bed.

The room was dark - the lights are off, and even if they were on, it’s not like there’s actually anything on the roof of his little box. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary or interesting to note.

But he still looks, peering into the pitch black and examining it. Instead of seeing with his eyes, memories resurface and playback like a highlight reel.

He smiles to himself.

There are several things he remembers fondly from his childhood, though it’s been some time since they happened. Of course, he’s twenty-one now, no longer an eight-year-old sneaking into his big brother’s room. 

But he misses it - being nestled in between Rowoon and Inseong with the latter stroking his hair as he falls asleep.

Although their parents thought it was sweet, they didn’t like it happening too often, citing them as needing to learn ‘independence’ and ‘boundaries’. It’s a case none of them can really argue against, considering especially now, Hwiyoung struggles to fall asleep without someone beside him.

Either way, their sneaky sleepovers continued until Inseong moved out for university, having gained a prestigious scholarship. Meanwhile, Rowoon was out busy… talking to everyone and anyone who wasn’t his little brother and doing absolutely anything that didn’t involve him, apparently.

And so Hwiyoung could only live in the shadows of his brothers, Inseong the Smart and Rowoon the Popular.

He rolls onto his side.

That was a while ago, he reminds himself, closing his eyes.

Things are different now.

Or so he tells himself.

  
  
  


The bus journey to university is bumpy as ever.

It's long, and at several points, people sit next to him or leave. He pays them no mind. It's easier to ignore the comings-and-goings, and to squeeze himself into the corner to take up less space.

Afternoon sunlight pours through the windows, and Hwiyoung leans his head against the glass and squints slightly to look down at the cars below. One driver holds their phone between their ear and phone, and another’s mouth moves silently as they shake their fist in the air.

People, he thinks. There should be something to add onto that, but he can’t find the word to use. Though, on second thought - just saying people might just be good enough, the rest is already implied-

His train of thought is interrupted by the bus swerving suddenly, and he braces himself for the collision. Just in time for the person beside him to crash into him.

“Sorry!”

Glancing to his left, the first thing he takes in is the bright blue.

That tends to stand out, and there aren’t many people he knows with that kind of colour in their hair. His eyes trail down to rest on the person’s face.

Of course, who else can it be but Yoo Taeyang.

“That’s alright.”

He tries not to recoil with distaste and looks away. Not quickly enough, because Taeyang seems to light up with recognition.

“Oh, hey! Aren’t you Rowoon’s little brother?”

Reluctantly, (oh  _ so _ reluctantly,) he turns to face Taeyang. He nods, “Yeah, I am.”

Shifting his eyes slightly, the view outside promises him they were reaching his destination soon.

“I’m Taeyang!”

The grin coming from the other stuns him for a moment. Hwiyoung notes with some jealousy it's the type that would make others subconsciously smile. A fact that's confirmed when he bites the inside of his cheeks and realises he's already smiling. It's a small one though, and he adjusts to make sure it doesn't look friendly.

“Hwiyoung.”

Taeyang doesn’t miss a beat after Hwiyoung’s name. “It’s nice to finally meet you properly, Hwiyoung! Do you have a class today or are you just in to study?”

“I…” he trails off, wondering how to respond.  _ Don’t really want to talk to you? _ Not very nice, but it’d get the job done. However, he doesn't really want anyone coming back to him saying he should work on his manners. "I have a class.”

Someone presses the button. He doesn’t see it happen, but he knows because he hears the bell and sees the sign above flashing red.  _ Bus stopping. _

“Oh! Cool!”

The bus slows. A sigh of relief. It reminds him  _ soon _ .

His eyes dart towards the exit. The many bodies of people are beginning to stand up, ready to alight. Taeyang still hasn’t moved yet, nor said anything else, so Hwiyoung takes the opportunity to fret about himself - alright, he’s still got his keys, his phone is in his pocket, take out his bus pass from his wallet, ready to swipe when it’s called for.

The bus halts.

Taeyang finally stands up slowly (can he hurry up?) while people slowly stagger down the aisle and off the bus. Hwiyoung shuffles over slightly, waiting for an opportunity to slip into the crowd.

It comes sooner than expected, and he looks up.

Taeyang stopped and made a space for him to go in front, blocking everyone else from surging forward.

“You first."

It's said so sweetly with a gentle smile.

Hwiyoung pulls at his bottom lip with his teeth. The people behind Taeyang are beginning to get restless, looking around each other to see what’s holding up the line. Busybodies.

Jumping up off the seat, Hwiyoung wills his feet to move a little faster, and fumbles slightly trying to tap his card against the machine.

(It takes two tries, and he dies a little inside both times.)

But finally, he’s alright, he's on solid ground again, and tucks the bus pass into his wallet. The opportunity to check once more everything’s there is too great to resist. He rummages through his bag. Nothing’s out of place, he tells himself, it’s just the same as before. 

A breath releases itself from his mouth.

He slips his hand into his pocket and takes out his phone. The screen tells him he has enough time to get to class with a drink in his hand.

“Which way are you headed?”

Taeyang’s still lingering though. There isn’t any real reason to be so cold to him, a small voice whispers in the back of his mind. After all, he’s only been friendly so far, it would be mean to act rudely when he hasn’t done anything… except for being friends with his older brother.

“Business. You?”

“Same! We can walk together.”

Hwiyoung takes his first proper look at Taeyang, and tries to not think of him as  _ Rowoon’s friend _ , but instead… a stranger that has been… nice.

Taeyang, objectively speaking, is handsome. He wouldn’t have enough fingers or toes twice over to count all the love letters and confessions his brothers have received, and he’s sure it’s probably the same for Taeyang.

His hair, the colour of the sea, parted in the middle with the ends barely brushing the tips of his eyebrows. And his  _ eyes _ . The corners crinkle and they sparkle in the sun as the two of them leave the shade of the bus stop. Hwiyoung is entranced as his mouth shapes itself into an easy grin.

It’s radiant.

_ He’s _ radiant.

It looks like a recipe for a disaster involving Hwiyoung’s heart.

But he’ll be fine, Hwiyoung reassures himself, gripping his phone tightly. Taeyang is just another pretty boy with a pretty smile. They’re usually up to no good, so he already has a headstart in knowing he has to be wary.

The rest of his day at university goes as it usually does, with a lingering sense of… something.

Hwiyoung can't quite identify it.

They walk together, up until the library. There, Taeyang parts ways with him, and he finds the rest of his walk feels a little lonelier than normal.

Class happens, is the best way to say it.

It's the third semester he's been in this lecture hall. Familiar territory is something he can appreciate, and it almost feels like home.

He takes his seat.

He sits alone, in the seat unofficially dubbed as his.

(Not that anyone else but him would recognise that fact - he's come in late once or twice, and seen people occupy the place. He'd had to settle for seats that were less than ideal… That's when he vowed to always be early.)

It's halfway to the back of the lecture theatre, and there are occasions when he feels a little comical rushing each step with a long stride. However, it's prime real estate, really. Close enough to see the slides, far enough to not be caught falling asleep. That, and there's typically no-one else in the general vicinity. Peace is always excellent.

Today, the professor peppers in a few decent jokes into his teaching. They garner a decent amount of laughs, from Hwiyoung included (though it's more of a huff of air through this nose), but it's only the second week of semester. No doubt attendance will be barely a third of this when they get to the end.

When the class finishes, while packing up, Hwiyoung reviews his laptop screen.

He's slightly startled that there's barely anything written there. A few words jotted down when his attention was brought to something highlighted as extremely important, but without context, they seem like jagged puzzle pieces that fit nowhere.

His mind had been distracted the whole time.

Cursing under his breath, there's only one particular boy who comes to mind.

He shoves the rest of his things into his bag and leaves the building as quickly as possible.

The moment he's out in the fresh air, he has a one-track mind. He power-walks the rest of the way to the bus stop. It's long, but his focus makes the time seem to fly by. Mingi does wave at him as he passes by, but he's surrounded by others so Hwiyoung just nods without slowing down.

That means he's barely in university for an hour before he's on his way home.

Typical, he thinks, not like Taeyang probably. He probably stays at uni for six hours to go to classes and be social with his friends during breaks because he's not a hermit.

Then Hwiyoung curses himself again for thinking of him.

Later on that night, Hwiyoung unlocks his phone while forcing himself to sit up.

He just woke up from his three-hour nap… how long ago? He’s not too sure, he hasn’t moved from his bed yet, but the lack of light suggests the sun has been long gone. Blinking his eyes into focus, he checks the time - 

10:46 PM.

Oh, there’s a new notification from Facebook.

He taps on the icon. It’s one new friend request.

There's a groan as eyes read the name, before a quick tap exits to the home screen and the phone is tossed onto Hwiyoung's pillow. He can worry about it later.

His current worries are more pressing, like having to pull himself out of his cozy blankets. What a chore. It takes a gargantuan effort, but then he's up and out and walking into the bathroom.

There's much on his mind as he picks up his toothbrush and squeezes a pea amount of toothpaste onto it. Baring his teeth into the mirror, he contemplates.

There’s no rule that says you have to actually accept someone’s friend request, even if they're friends with your brother. Even if there was a small potential you could run into them again sometime soon.

But… Hwiyoung isn't sure he wants to be friends with Taeyang… just yet. And what was the point of accepting a friend request if you weren't going to be friends? For business?

He spits out, into the sink.

No thank you. Business and endorsements can be kept to LinkedIn, thank you very much.

Turning the tap on, he rinses his brush, returning it to its original place. Then he cups his hands, gathering water to rinse out the excess foam in his mouth.

Hwiyoung… is simply reserving his judgement for now.

After all, he has 52 friend requests. Some were sent three years ago and are still left unanswered.

Yoo Taeyang can wait his turn.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, comments and kudos!
> 
> (not to be greedy for comments but i would appreciate feedback/what you liked/what you think might happen next...)


End file.
